Chapter 10
Five Years Later…
Ezra knew he had to get his shit together. Everything in his life had gone to hell. The only thing he had left was his work and his children. He'd been divorce for three years now. Divorcing Bethany had been the right call. They had been in two different places, wanted different things, no longer communicating as a married couple should. They had shared custody of their kids. He liked the fact that he and Bethany could remain on amicable terms for their kids' sake.
He never thought that he would ever divorce Bethany. She'd been his childhood and high school sweetheart, the girl he'd promised to be with forever. He'd loved her from such a young age. What had gone wrong? They had started to argue a lot. She wanted more children and Ezra didn't. Why hadn't she understood that? She'd suffered two more miscarriages during their marriage. She'd been so obsessed with babies after that. Her obsession had gotten so bad that he had to admit her to Radley for treatment.
Ezra had self-medicated himself with alcohol. Sometimes he'd stopped going home after work. He'd distanced himself from Bethany's family. He hadn't wanted to be around Aria, her perfect husband, and their child. He couldn't think of Madelyn as his. He hadn't seen her since she was a baby. How old was she now? He had to think. Ezra counted down in his head.
Madelyn had to be five years old. Yeah, that had to be about right. His little girl, no, she wasn't his. Aria had made sure of that. She'd made the choice for him a long time ago.
He'd never forgiven Aria for what she'd done. She'd denied him his daughter, his beautiful little girl. He would never forget the first time he'd held her in his arms. He hadn't wanted to let go. It hurt that she was now calling Josh daddy instead of Ezra.
Ezra hadn't kept up with Aria's life after her betrayal. He hadn't wanted to. Why should he? He didn't care about her perfect life, her perfect family. He drained the last of his scotch and fixed himself another. He knew he had to stop drinking so much. It wasn't good for him or for his children. He smiled as he thought about his twelve year old daughter and ten year old son. They were great kids.
He didn't miss a single moment in his children's lives. He was there for everything. For Charlotte Grace's dance practices and recitals, Thorsten's soccer games and Boy Scout meetings. He prided himself on being an involved parent. His children had never wanted for anything.
Ezra knew his divorce from Bethany had been hard on his children, but he and Bethany had worked together in alleviating their fears. He'd never wanted to hurt his children, but he hadn't been able to stay married to their mother. He hadn't been happy. He'd been miserable. He'd felt like he'd been slowly dying.
Thoughts of Aria tried to resurface but he drowned them with more alcohol. He didn't want to think about her. He didn't want to see her. He'd meant what he'd said, she was dead to him. He'd stop going to Bethany's family gatherings. He hadn't wanted to run into Aria and her family. He knew she was still married to that loser Josh and probably had two more children. Fuck, why did he care?
Aria wasn't his anymore. She'd never been his. She didn't belong to him. She was a happily married woman. She had everything she'd ever wanted.
Ezra got up and stumbled towards the door. He was drunker than he thought. Someone was knocking at his door. Who the hell was it? He wasn't expecting company tonight. He opened the door without looking through the peephole. He nearly fell over at who it is. It was Aria. What the hell did she want? How did she found out where he was staying? Why had she come? Didn't she know he didn't want anything to do with her? He didn't want her there.
He forced himself to look at her. He caught his breath. She was still lovely as ever. Even though she was thirty-three years of age, she still looked young. Her long dark hair was shorter now. It came to her shoulders. Her sexy body hadn't changed. He felt a small twinge of desire but he pushed it away, sex was the last thing on his mind when he looked at her.
Her big doe-like eyes roamed over his body, deliberately. Instant lust flashed in her eyes but she didn't act on it. She couldn't. She'd promised Josh years ago that the affair between her and Ezra had ended. He was older, forty-one years of age, but he still looked damned good. He'd always been an attractive man, a very sexy man, one who knew his way around the bedroom.
Why had she come? It was a stupid idea. She'd been impulsive. She felt responsible for his marriage ending. She'd never thought Bethany and Ezra would ever end their long-term marriage. They'd always been good together. They'd also looked good together, like the perfect couple. She'd envied her older sister for bagging Ezra Fitzgerald. Aria had wanted Ezra so much, had loved him.
His sharp blue eyes were slightly unfocused. She could smell the stench of alcohol on him. He smelled as though he had drowned himself in scotch. The scent wasn't unpleasant. She could see the sprinkle of gray at his temples, making him appear more distinguished for his age.
Aria hated how she'd betrayed him all those years ago. She'd never forgiven herself. She'd been selfish. She had no right to deny Ezra his daughter. She'd taken the decision out of his hands. He'd been crushed for what she'd done. She still loved him. She'd always loved him. She wanted to make it right, to correct her mistake.
She'd told Josh five years ago that Maddie wasn't his. First he'd been heart sick at the news but that hadn't stopped him from doting on her. Maddie loved Josh, but she knew Josh wasn't her dad. Aria had felt it was best to tell her daughter the truth. Maddie was a smart kid and mature for her age. She knew Ezra was her real dad. Her special girl had to process the fact that her cousins were really her half siblings. Maddie had been confused until Aria had explained everything, how she had come to be.
Aria was sick of all the lies, all the secrets surrounding their families. She'd wanted to come clean, and she had. She'd told Bethany the truth months ago. Neither Bethany nor her parents were speaking to her. They blamed her for the affair between her and Ezra. Bethany had gone as far as saying that she, Aria was the reason for her divorce. Aria hadn't denied it. She should have left Ezra alone from the very beginning.
Aria didn't think that Bethany or their parents would ever forgive her. She had to live with the fact that her sister and she would never be close again. She accepted it. It was the price she had to pay. She wasn't supposed to be in Rosewood. Josh had no idea that Aria had come to see Ezra. Maddie was with him. She had school in the morning.
Josh and she were constantly bickering, about how to raise Maddie, about their careers and finances, and about Ezra. She was sick of all the fights, all the yelling. It wasn't good for Maddie. She knew her little girl sensed the ever-growing tension between Josh and her. She had to get away for a while, to clear her head, to see what she wanted. She couldn't figure that out around Josh. New York City didn't seem like home anymore. She wanted to come back to Rosewood, to be near her family, but most of all, she wanted her special girl to know Ezra. Both Ezra and their daughter deserved to know one another.
Ezra's blood boiled at the sight of Aria. He had half the mind to throw her out. What gave her the right to show up at his home? Just for an instant he'd thought about slamming the door in her face. Terrible thoughts entered his head as he continued staring at her. His eyes were cold as ice as she stood firm under his scrutiny.
He didn't have anything to say to her. He resisted the urge to wrap his hands around her pretty little neck. She'd stolen something precious from him. He didn't want to hear anything she had to say. It wouldn't matter.
Just hearing her voice would set him off. He would lose it if he didn't get himself under control. He had to reign in his emotions or risk saying something unforgettable to her. He didn't owe her anything. He finished the last of his drink without taking his eyes from her. She fiddled with the strap of her purse as a tiny nerve ticked in his jaw. He hated how she looked so well put together in her loose fitted blouse, skin-tight leggings, and her dainty feet encased in simple flats. Her nonchalant attitude pissed him off greatly.
"What the hell are you doing here?" he asked rudely, not bothering to invite her in. "Don't you have some other place to be?"
He knew she was on the verge of losing her tempter but he didn't care.
He wanted to fight with her.
He wanted to take out all his frustrations on her.
She was to blame for his life going to shit.
He wished he'd never laid eyes on her.
"Aren't you going to invite me in? Don't be a dick" Aria said with barely concealed anger in her voice as she ran an agitated hand through her dark silky locks. "I have to talk to you".
Well, too damn bad, Ezra thought as his tall frame still blocked the door into his apartment.
Ezra liked his bachelor pad just fine without having backstabbers taint his private sanctuary.
"Fuck you," Ezra said heatedly, gruffly as he attempted to shut the door in her face. Her beautiful face held shock before she came to and shoved her way inside his clean but bare apartment. "I don't want your ass here, Aria".
That was too damn bad, because she wasn't going anywhere.
He had to deal with her eventually.
He'd avoided her far too long.
She didn't care if she had to stay all night to get through to him.
He had to listen.
She had to make him listen.
She would say what was on her mind and then she would leave.
But she didn't want to leave.
"Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?" Aria asked offhandedly and watched as his eyes narrowed and became even colder. Yes, she got a reaction from him. She smiled tightly, loving the fact that she'd riled him up. For some insane reason, she wanted him to lose control. She wanted his aggression, wanted him to get rough with her. She wanted him to fuck her. She'd missed him, missed his touch, the way he felt inside her and the way kissed, and missed the way he said her name during sex. His voice had been deep and incredibly sexy, his groans filling her ears as he buried himself inside her over and over again, stretching her insides. It had been painful and good, so pleasurable. She'd come hard, so fast. "It's really important that we talk".
The longer she remained in his home the more incensed he became.
"I mean it Aria, I want your ass out of my house," Ezra said coldly as he took a menacing step towards her. She didn't back down. Did she have a death wish? Why wouldn't she leave him alone? He wanted to be left alone. He didn't want her there. She wasn't welcome in his home, in his personal space. "If you don't leave like I've asked you to, then I'm going to physically toss your ass out".
She wanted to see him try.
She wasn't afraid of him.
She knew him.
She knew that however mad he was at her, that he wouldn't harm her.
"Do it," Aria challenged him as she walked up to him and poked him in the chest. His sharp blue eyes flashed with awareness, then anger, and then lust. "I want your hands on me".
He groaned angrily and turned his back on her and began walking further into his apartment. He wanted there to be distance between them. He didn't watch where he was going and tripped over one of the many rugs adorning his home, going down like a sack of bricks. He was too drunk to catch himself. He braced himself for the impending impact but he wasn't quick enough. The last sound he heard was Aria's high-pitched scream as the side of his head smacked against the hard floor and he was out like a light.
Sorry for the long break but I hoped I redeemed myself with this chapter. *runs and hide*